1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of bits usable for controlling the direction of an animal such as a horse, mule or donkey when said animal is being ridden, and more particularly, to a flexible bit which, upon tensioning a set of reins attached thereto on one side of the animal's neck, will flex thereby causing the animal to turn its head in the opposite direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The usefulness of horses and other similar animals for the relatively rapid locomotion of a human rider astride the back thereof has been known since approximately 2000 B.C. During this long period of history of horsemanship, various devices have been invented to assist the rider in controlling the animal and causing it to move in the desired direction. The gradual development of more refined control devices has resulted in the now familiar tack arrangement of a bridle comprised of straps which adjustable fit around the animal's head, a metal bit including a mouthpiece adapted to fit in the animal's mouth and extend over and atop its tongue, and a set of reins which are conventionally attached to the bit at either side of the animal's mouth.
In conventional bit design, the ends of the mouthpiece extend out each side of the animal's mouth. The mouthpiece ends are attached to cheek pieces, which provide attachment for the ends of the bridle and the reins. The bit may further comprise extensions of the cheek pieces which extend toward the front of the animal's mouth and, if the reins are attached to the ends thereof, exert a powerful leverage force on the animal's mouth, as with a curb bit. The mouthpiece may comprise a single piece or be jointed in one or more places.
Various bits incorporating some of the features mentioned as well as others are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 907,816; 804,700; 424,258; 660,923; 479,670; 617,300 and 52,125. In all of these references, and as is conventional in the art, the reins are attached at each side of the animal's mouth either to the cheek pieces or extensions thereof.
Two styles of riding have evolved, both of which have conventionally used bits of the type described above. In English style riding, the set of reins includes a single rein, each end being attached to the bit on each side of the animal's mouth. During riding, one rein is held in each hand on either side of the animal's neck. To direct the animal, one pulls on the right rein to turn the animal right and on the left rein to turn the animal left.
In so-called "Western" style riding, instead of using two hands to hold the reins, only one hand is used. In order to direct the animal, the technique of "neck-reining" is employed. To direct the animal right, for example, the hand holding the reins moves the reins to the right, while slightly lifting them, and lays the left rein on the left side of the animal's neck, thereby causing the neck to turn to the right, and the animal to turn in that direction. While this style of riding has the advantage of leaving one hand free for show contests or other activities, such as roping, etc., it has prior to now been usable only with a properly trained animal. The technique of "neck-reining" causes the animal to turn in the direction opposite the side in which the cue is applied. In other words, if the rein is laid on the left side of the animal's neck, the animal must know to turn right. Such a technique is difficult to use with a combination of a conventional bit and an untrained horse because the animal becomes easily confused since pressure is applied to the opposite side of the mouth than the direction in which the horse is being urged.
Thus, while the technique of neck-reining has the advantage of leaving one hand of the rider free and is mandatory in showing western horses, if it is employed in conjunction with the prior art bits described above, it can only be used with a well trained animal. Thus, the limitations of the prior art do not allow a rider to use a one-handed technique with a relatively untrained or greenbroken animal.
These problems have been addressed in a horse tack bit disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,733 issued to Gerald R. Bork, the inventor of the subject matter of the subject invention. The bit disclosed in this patent enables a rider to use a one-handed riding style and causes the animal to turn its head in the same direction as the direction of pull on the reins. It has been found, however, that further improvements could be made to the horse tack bit disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,733 in order to simplify its manufacturing and provide adjustability in its size.